A Surgeon and a Soldier
by yramnerual
Summary: A collection of Omelia one-shots and drabbles picked up from prompts on tumblr or reactions to episodes/scenes on the show. Rating may change as chapters are added
1. Puppies

**Puppies: A continuation from the last scene of 12 x 14 and all the fluff that was Omelia and all those puppies!**

"I'm sorry Dr. Hunt but we have to get these little guys back to the shelter" Shelby, the woman in charge of the Pediatrics and Puppies Program at GSMH regretfully told Owen and Amelia. Seeing the joy that they brought to not only the kids but doctors like these two made the end of the day her least favourite time. It was incredible how a ball of fur on four legs could bring so much happiness to all kinds of people and it broke her heart to have to take them away. It had been a big day for all the little pups and it would be an adventure in itself just getting them all back to the shelter. She made her way to the door as Amelia begged for just one more minute.

"What if we took one home?" Owen wondered out loud gauging his girlfriend's reaction.

Not sure if she was hearing him right, Amelia set the puppy down that she'd had in her arms and turned to Owen "Take one home?"

"Why not?" he chuckled as he scruffed the fur of the two dogs jumping around his feet "Today won't be the last hard day in this place and a puppy seems like the perfect cure"

Amelia wasn't quite sure if he was serious. It might be the exhaustion of her day or how hard she was falling for the goofball of a man sitting in front of her but she couldn't quite read his face. It wasn't until he'd seemed to single out a scruffy little runt of a pup from the litter and looked at him like he was his whole world.

"What happened to taking things slow? Getting a puppy isn't exactly a first date kind of activity"

"Says who? I think this guy likes you…"

The scruffy little one that Owen had picked out had gravitated toward Amelia and curled up in her lap. It was too hard to resist those floppy little ears, that cold wet nose and those big brown eyes staring up at her. As she looked up at Owen there was a set of deep blue eyes mimicking that of the puppy which were even harder to resist. How could she say no to that incredible man in front of her?

"He'll have to sleep on the end of the bed because there is no room for a dog bed in the trailer" Amelia insisted as her heart just melted. They were doing this, they were getting a puppy… together. "But you're toilet training him"

"Yes dear" Owen smiled before leaning closer to his girlfriend and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

Whether they were starting from fresh or not, there was no changing how madly in love he was with Amelia. Owen saw a future with her that he never could have imagined with Cristina and that future started with a puppy. He wanted a house with Amelia, lots of beautiful children with Amelia, he wanted to grow old with Amelia and spend the rest of his life making her smile as bright as she was in that very moment.

 **Your thoughts?**

 **Prompts are welcome both here and on tumblr (yramnerual)**


	2. He's Coming Home

**He's Coming Home. Future!Omelia. Owen is finally coming home after the last four months of active duty**

"Tomorrow is the big day, isn't it?" Arizona beamed as she skipped up to the nurses' station and nudged Amelia gently. Looking over the brunette's shoulder, she could see her shaking hands as she updated her patient's chart "Amelia?"

Amelia's stomach had been in knots every minute of every day since he left and she wouldn't stop worrying until she saw him standing before her. Nothing could dampen the anxiety each news bulletin of soldiers injured or killed overseas brought to her, not even the disjointed and patchy skype calls they tried to have each week. The last four months had been the longest of the neurosurgeon's life.

"Hmmm? Yeah tomorrow" she chuckled still a little dazed. The excitement she should be feeling couldn't quite break past her unease. Amelia had faith that he would step off that plane tomorrow in one piece just as he'd left but she said goodbye to a friend last time, this time… she said goodbye to her fiancé.

"He's coming home, Amelia" Arizona assured her friend "He's coming home safe"

"I know"

Amelia smiled weakly at Arizona, silently thanking her for the support. Her Grey Sloan Memorial family had gotten her through every day for the past four months. She would probably have slipped if it weren't for Meredith and Maggie keeping a constant eye on her or Richard keeping her in weekly meetings. He wouldn't be coming back to the same Amelia if it weren't for their help.

Swapping tablets with the nurse behind the desk, Amelia had another patient she needed to see and a craniotomy to perform before she could go home for one last sleepless night. She was definitely looking forward to getting a more restful sleep with him home, the bed just didn't feel right without him there. The weight and warmth of his body soothed her in a way she never realised until it wasn't there anymore. Their rescue pup Otis did his best to comfort her but it wasn't always enough.

Going through the motions with her patient and then her surgery, Amelia was just thankful there were no surprises or complications. Her heart really wasn't in it today but that didn't mean her patients would suffer. Amelia had an impeccable survival rate and that didn't change when he left for this tour, she wouldn't let it change. Focusing on her work and her patients helped as much as her friends in keeping her hands busy and her mind off the nightmares she concocted.

Pulling off her scrub cap, Amelia walked out of the OR pulling off her shoe covers and throwing them in the bin. She stretched out her shoulders and rolled her neck trying to ease the tension that had built up through her surgery. Making her way across the OR floor, she rubbed her surgery information off the board. She had a love hate relationship with that task, hating when she had to rub off a patient's name because she had lost them on the table but loving it when she had sent them to recovery with the best chance at a full life after a successful surgery. Taking a deep breath, she set the board eraser back in it's holder once the information was erased.

"Amelia" a familiar voice called from down the hall.

Stilling her hand on the eraser, she needed to continue her deep breaths just to keep herself grounded. She knew that voice. She loved that voice but it's couldn't be. He wasn't due home for another 24 hours. She was meant to be at the airport in 24 hours to pick him up. He couldn't be here now. It wasn't him.

"Mia…" he spoke once again.

No-one called her 'Mia' but him. No-one dared called her 'Mia' but him. Turning toward the voice, she burst into tears at the sight of him, her fiancé. Still dressed in his fatigues, he raced for his fiancé scooping her up into his arms before she fell to the floor. Holding her tight, he never wanted to let her go again.

"I missed you Amelia, so much" Owen gasped softly running his hands through her chocolate curls gently. Holding back his own tears, he needed to be her strength especially now that she was back in his arms.

"Don't you dare leave me again" she insisted with fistfuls of his jacket tight in her hands "Please?"

"Never my sweet Mia, never"

 **Your thoughts?**

 **Prompts are welcome and encouraged both here and tumblr (yramnerual)**


	3. It Would Have Been Perfect

**It would have been perfect… From a prompt on tumblr "one forgetting their wedding anniversary"**

 _He had been planning for this day for weeks. He'd been planning for this day longer than he planned the proposal. He wanted today to be perfect. It would have been perfect has she remembered…_

Amelia's pager blared loudly waking them both with a start at 4am. A truck vs. multiple cars had filled the ER of Grey + Sloan Memorial Hospital and while April had a handle on the trauma patients, she needed Amelia to operate on a man with a steering column impaled in his head. The excitement of the gruesome surgery got the young Neurosurgeon up and out of bed without a thought of the date or her husband. She insisted he went back to sleep as she quickly changed and raced out the door.

"Happy Anniversary 'Melia" Owen sighed softly toward the door as he heard it shut with a dull thud. So the breakfast in bed he had planned would have to be scrapped but he had so much more planned for the day. Owen rolled over and went back to sleep for another couple hours before his alarm got him out of bed.

Pulling the bouquet of roses, rose petals and present that he'd been hiding in his den, Owen set them up on the kitchen bench ready for when they came home. Hopefully the romantic night he had planned for them both wouldn't be interrupted by another steering column to the head. Once he had gotten himself ready, he headed to the hospital looking forward to seeing his wife.

 _The past 365 days had been everything he could ask for and more. He had waited a long time for someone like her to come into his life and make him as happy as he'd ever been. Despite the little arguments, long night shifts and passing moments in the hall of the hospital, they had survived their first year married and looked forward to many more. He wanted to make their anniversary special. It would have been perfect had she remembered…_

As Owen got to the hospital, he was immediately flooded with patients in the ER. After the early morning truck vs. multiple cars that had gotten his wife out of bed, a house fire and a stampede at a local county fair rounded out the day of crazy traumas. While most were superficial wounds and minor burns, he had a few on his schedule in the OR to keep him busy. Between each surgery, he looked for his wife hoping for a fleeting moment together but as if she'd planned the day away from him, Amelia was in back to back surgeries the entire day. Owen knew better than to join her in the OR unless the patient needed his help or for another emergency. They were an affectionate couple at work except in the OR or around patients. That's where their most important work was done and nothing got in the way of that. Not even their first anniversary.

 _He had hoped for an easy day at the hospital but that was never the case when they wanted it. The days they prayed for rain they were met with desert and the days they prayed for sunshine they were met with thunder. When it came to Grey + Sloan Memorial Hospital, no two days were the same and no two days were predictable. As much as Owen had tried to make time between his surgeries and patients, he needed his wife to celebrate with. It would have been perfect had she remembered…_

"Oh Owen, I almost forgot!" Maggie beamed as she passed him in the hall on her way up to the ICU. Owen had finished with his last major trauma case for the day and was making his way to the Attendings Lounge in search of his wife. "Happy Anniversary!"

"Thank you Pearce" he chuckled as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his white coat. He was pleased at least someone had remembered what today was, but he would have liked it to be his wife.

"Have you been spoiling Amelia? Do we need to steer clear of on call rooms until tomorrow?" she laughed imagining that the pair hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other today. Her face fell as Owen forced a smile and slight nod. She had come to know Owen a lot more over the past year or two and she could tell something was wrong.

"I should get going, thanks for the well wishes" he chuckled and bid his friend farewell. He couldn't dwell on how far from his plans this day had been. There were still a few hours left to their anniversary and he still had hope he could make it special for his wife. He made his way toward the Attendings Lounge only to have the OR Board catch his eye. Amelia was scheduled for an emergency craniotomy and would be in surgery for another hour or so. He couldn't blame her for the emergencies that came into her OR, she was an incredible surgeon saving so many lives and he could only praise her for that.

Owen decided that going home on his own and preparing for a special time with his wife would outplay waiting in the Attendings Lounge until she was finished with her surgery. He needed to keep his hope for this day alive.

 _All of his planning, all of the anticipation to indulge his wife in a day of love and special moments was quickly running out of time. The breakfast in bed, lunch dates, and romantic little moments as they passed in the hall, all missed out on. It would have been perfect had she remembered…_

Maggie stormed into the scrub room of Amelia's OR only to see her sister still operating. It had been more than an hour since she spoke to Owen and she expected Amelia to be halfway home by now. The cardiothoracic surgeon could only come to one conclusion after seeing the look on Owen's face earlier in the day and Amelia's surgery after surgery. Grabbing a mask, she made her way into Amelia's OR, tapping her foot until she was noticed.

"Can I help you Mag or have you got early onset Parkinson's with that foot tap?" Amelia chuckled as she continued to operate. She was almost finished the craniotomy and couldn't wait to get home and straight to bed.

"You forgot didn't you?" Maggie growled gently. If she could put her hands on her hips right then she would.

"Forgot what?"

"What's the date today Amelia?"

"I feel like I've been in the OR for about a week so I'm really not sure of the exact date" Amelia sighed as she began getting annoyed at her sister and her silly questions. She'd had a long day after her really early morning start.

"It's August 27th Amelia Hunt. August 27th"

"Thank you Maggie Pearce it's August… Oh no!"

"There you go" Maggie chuckled with an eye roll "You forgot"

"I forgot"

Finishing the last task she needed before closing, Amelia handed the surgery off to Edwards to finish. She ripped off her gloves, gown and mask and raced out of the OR. She couldn't believe she had forgotten today of all days. A year ago was the happiest day of her life and she should be celebrating with the man who made all her dreams come true.

"What did she forget?" Edwards asked as she began closing up the scalp of their patient.

"Her first wedding anniversary"

 _The candles were lit, rose petals laid out across the floor from the door to the fireplace and their dinner was keeping warm on the stove. All he needed was his wife who should have finished her surgery almost an hour ago. It would have been perfect had she remembered…_

Amelia burst through the front door of their home only to be stopped in her tracks of the beauty that awaited her. She was greeted with a path of candles and rose petals toward the fireplace and her waiting husband and pup. Owen and Otis were curled up on the multitude of cushions and blankets set out in front of the fireplace with Owen sipping on a class of sparkling water.

"Owen I'm so sorry" she whispered as she dropped her bag and jacket by the door before making her way over to her little family. Expecting Owen to be angry with her for forgetting, she was pleasantly surprised when he welcomed her into his arms. Relaxing into his embrace, Amelia appreciated every moment she could spent in the arms of this incredible man. How she was ever lucky enough to deserve him still baffled her.

"Owen…"

"Shhh" he insisted before pressing a soft kiss to her temple "We're together now"

"I love you Owen, more than you could ever know. I don't deserve you"

"You deserve the world Amelia Hunt and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to give it to you whether you forget our anniversaries or not"

 _He had been planning for this day for weeks. He'd been planning for this day longer than he planned the proposal. He wanted today to be perfect. It was perfect now that she was in his arms…_

 **Your thoughts?**

 **Prompts are welcome and encouraged either here or on tumblr (yramnerual)**


	4. Dropping Like Flies

**Prompt: Pleeeaaase can you write something fluffy/sexy with Amelia throwing Owen a surprise birthday party? (Pretend that the trailer scene never happened)**

 _Thankyou shepherdess-amelia for this prompt! My family have exiled me and my germs up to my room so the result is this! I hope you like it!_

Amelia had never really been the best at planning birthday parties, especially surprise ones but she was going to redeem herself… She needed to redeem herself. This was Owen's birthday, the first they were spending together as more than just a fling and the first of many more to come.

It needed to be perfect.

Maybe not perfect but still good.

Anything at this point would be better than nothing.

Everyone was dropping like flies!

"Shepherd I'm sorry it's the ER" April sighed as she pulled her pager from her pocket. The loud blaring of it's alarm broke through the quiet that had come over the Attending's Lounge as they waited for Owen.

"Can't someone else take it?"

"Only Owen. You'd rather him here than me, right?" the red head sighed as she picked up her coat and raced for the door. With a fleeting, reassuring hand to Amelia's shoulder, April was gone.

The first fly down.

April had a point, Amelia would much rather Owen at his own surprise party than her. The young Neurosurgeon had spent the better part of the afternoon decorating the Lounge with bright coloured balloons and streamers. Maggie and Bailey had baked cupcakes for the occasion and they had enough food to feed the whole surgical floor if they wanted. Amelia wanted this day to be memorable for her boyfriend.

At least special for him.

"Dammit Kepner!" Callie suddenly burst with an angry sigh a few minutes later

"No!" Amelia sighed knowing exactly why Callie was annoyed. The patient that had called April down to the ER needed an Ortho consult. Like clockwork, multiple pagers began blaring through the Lounge with their owners all giving Amelia an apologetic look before picking them up.

"Bus crash. Multiple victims incoming, sorry Amelia" Bailey sighed and led the procession of surgeons rushing out of the room.

More flies down.

Turning back to survey the very empty room, Amelia was met with only one sympathetic expression.

"Must not have been any pregnant women catching the bus" Arizona laughed half-heartedly trying to make her friend feel better. She could see how much work Amelia had put into this party only to have it all fall to pieces around them.

"Give it a couple of minutes, one will turn up" Amelia sighed as she realised there was no use getting frustrated. Grey+Sloan Memorial was the top trauma hospital in Seattle and a far cry from a sleepy little hospital. Trauma and emergencies were a way of life in that place and getting annoyed at that was just useless.

As a few more minutes passed and Amelia began giving up on Owen ever finishing his surgery, an out of breath Cross burst through the door "Dr… Dr Hunt is… On his way" he panted as he bent over trying to fill his lungs with air. Standing up, he looked around the room "Where did everyone go?"

As if answering his question, Arizona's pager went off. As much as she tried to dampen the sound, Arizona could see it tearing Amelia's heart to shreds. All that planning, all that hope and she was the last one standing.

"I'm so sorry Amelia. It's 911. One of my Mom's is in labour" Arizona apologized as she picked up her coat "I'm sorry"

"Go save a cute little baby, it's ok" Amelia laughed and handed her friend a cupcake before pushing her out the door. She wasn't hurt or upset, she knew there was no stopping a baby when it was ready to come. Left alone with Cross, Amelia couldn't have Owen walk into this "You can go Cross"

"Can I have a cupcake for the road?"

Handing him a cupcake, Amelia was just happy to see the back of him. If Owen wasn't going to have all his friends there to celebrate his birthday than he would just have to settle for her… Not that he'd complain too much.

"Amelia?" Owen smiled as he made his way into the Attending's Lounge and saw the big 'Happy Birthday Owen' banner hung across the window, the food and decorations. "What…"

"Surprise?" she sighed closing the gap between them and pulling him into a weak embrace "I wanted this to be perfect and then a bus crashed and a Mom went into a labour and I swear there were more people here like 5 minutes ago" Taking a breath, she looked up Owen just like everyone had done to her earlier. Apologetic and disheartened.

"It is perfect, the most important person is here" he smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her hair. Owen was more than happy for it just to be him and Amelia. Appreciating the sentiment of their friends joining them, he didn't need them to celebrate this day. He just needed Amelia.

"Owen…"

"Are they cupcakes?" he smirked and made his way over to the table to survey the multitude of food strewn across the table.

"Owen…"

"Best birthday ever!" Owen laughed and took a big bit of a cupcake and getting frosting all the way from the tip of his nose the end of his whiskered chin. Making his way over to Amelia, he pulled her tight against his chest and placed a messy, slopping kiss to her lips sharing the frosting he was yet to wipe of his face. Squealing and trying to push him away, Amelia soon gave up and just laughed.

"Best birthday ever, huh?" she laughed as she wiped her face on Owen's scrubs. If he was going to cover her face in frosting then she was going to return the favour on his scrubs. "How about we take this to an on call room and see if I can make it even better" Amelia smirked and took her boyfriend's hand. The party went unacknowledged as she dragged him across the hall to the closest on call room and locked the door behind them.

Pulling off her scrub top, Amelia revealed the black lace and mess lingerie she'd bought especially for today. She pushed the slack jawed redhead down on the bed ready to give him the other half of his birthday surprise.

"Best birthday ever"


	5. Falling For You

_Anonymous: Could you write Amelia realizing she has fallen for Owen? Hopefully what happens in 12x16_

Maggie hated being stood up especially in the middle of the cafeteria. She hated looking around like an idiot looking for a friend to sit with. It made her feel like middle school and high school all over again. She would always be the nerdy girl eating lunch alone.

As she made her way for the door defeated, resigned to the idea of sitting alone in an on call room eating her lunch, she ran into Edwards… literally running into her.

"Dr Pearce, hi, sorry I didn't see you" Edwards gasped still a little out of breath from her run across the hospital.

"It's ok" Maggie shrugged "Hey, have you seen Am,,, Dr Shepherd?"

"Yeah she's sitting in the OR2 Gallery. I was just getting her a sandwich to take back"

"I'll take it to her. We were supposed to be having lunch together today anyway" the Cardio Surgeon offered and smiled at the bright expression on Edwards' face.

Stephanie pulled Maggie into an unexpected hug before pulling back and handing her Amelia's cash "Thankyou Dr Pearce, I have to check on all of Dr Shepherd's post ops and get to the skills lab and of course Dr Shepherd is enthralled in the surgery in OR2. You're the best, did I say that?"

"Thanks" Maggie laughed and before she could say anything else Edwards had run off in the opposite direction. She picked up a sandwich and a piece of fruit for Amelia before making her way upstairs to the OR2 Gallery. Not even sure what was taking place in OR2, Maggie was surprised to see Amelia sitting alone. It was common for the Galleries to be full of interns and residents mostly watching on surgeries they only dreamed of performing one day. Dropping down on the seat beside her friend, she held the sandwich out in front of Amelia until she took it.

"What happened to Edwards?" Amelia asked looking around for her dark haired resident.

"What happened to meeting me for lunch today?" Maggie snapped back a little too harsh than she would have liked. Settling back in the chair, she mimicked Amelia by putting her feet up on the window sill looking down into the Gallery.

"Sorry"

"It's ok" she shrugged "What are you doing up…Oh!" Maggie continued as she realised who was operating and why Amelia was spending her free time watching him.

"What _…Oh!_ Pearce?"

"Owen is down there"

"So…"

"Don't _So…_ me Shepherd" Maggie laughed as she leaned forward in her chair so she could see the expression on her friend's face. Despite the teasing, Amelia was completely entranced by this man and his surgery. "I've never seen you like this before"

"Ugh! I've never been like this before" She sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "I feel like I can't breathe if he's not around, like he's giving me strength just by being close. I… I…"

Maggie could only smile.

"I've never felt like this about anyone before not Ryan, not James. I feel like a school girl right now! Just completely and stupidly infatuated with him"

Maggie stayed silent, letting her friend come to the realization herself. Amelia and Owen had been dancing around this for what felt like forever and it made Maggie happy to know two of her dearest friends could share this together.

"I don't think anymore, I know. I know I'm in love with him. I know I've fallen head over damn heels"

"More like fallen right over the edge of that cliff, rolled down the rocky face and there ain't no clawing back" Maggie laughed earning a quizzical look from Amelia.

"Dude, that's a little dark… for you" Amelia chuckled

"I know, I'm sorry" the Cardio surgeon sighed as she picked at the packaging of her sandwich.

"Don't be sorry, I like it" Amelia laughed. As she looked down into the OR, Owen took a moment to return her gaze and smile from under his mask. What Amelia didn't know is that he felt the same way, he had for months now. He felt like a whole person with her in his life and he thanked a higher power every day for the blessing that she was.


	6. Facing Everest

**So this is a bit of a reaction piece to the sneak peek for 12x17. Watch that before reading this! It's on youtube.**

"Hey Shep, Can I've a word?" Riggs asked poking his head through the door to the scrub room. Amelia had just spent the last 8 hours in surgery and had four other surgeries on her mind as she scrubbed out. She didn't really want to talk to Riggs but he had that expression you usually see on a puppy when they've chewed up your favourite slippers… guilt and remorse. If she didn't talk to him now, the curiosity would niggle in the back of her mind and she wouldn't get the sleep she so desperately needed.

"What's up?"

Riggs made his way into the scrub room and made the effort to close the door behind him which started to worry Amelia. She had a few ideas about what he might want to address but did they warrant this level of anxiety from the Cardio Surgeon? "I wanted to apologise…"

Ok, not what Amelia was expecting. If Riggs needed to apologise to anyone, Owen would be a better person to start with. "Apologise for what?" she asked as she grabbed a towel to dry her hands and leant with her back to the sink.

"A couple months back when we were at Joe's… I didn't know…" he began before being cut off abruptly.

"You didn't know" Amelia insisted "Don't go losing sleep over that. It was my choice to take that drink, not yours"

"But I bought it!" he burst as he began pacing the length of the small room. It had been eating him alive since hearing that Amelia was a recovering addict from Meredith in the ambulance. Even if Owen hadn't blown his top, he still would have torn himself apart until he'd made things right with Amelia. Riggs respected Amelia as a colleague and appreciated her as a friend when she could have easily iced him out like Owen. Amelia formed her own opinion and while they weren't the best of friends, they were civil.

"So…? You didn't make me drink it!" she shot back at him. It was no-one's fault but her own and she accepted that. After arguments with Owen and Meredith, Amelia felt vulnerable and she reverted back to what she knew best, sinking into the bottom of a glass. It was her own fault for setting herself back to Day 1, it was her own fault for letting the alcohol take control again.

"Come on Shep…"

"No! You do not get to feel guilty about that. You didn't know"

"Owen blames me…" Riggs sighed softly as he ran his hands through his hair "He blames me for your relapse"

"He blames you huh?" Amelia laughed with a roll of her eyes. Who was he to lay blame here? As much as Owen wanted to blame everything on Riggs because it was easier than the alternative, he needed to take some responsibility. "I'm sorry you got caught in the crossfire but you have nothing to feel guilty for" she insisted "I appreciate the apology but it's not necessary. You didn't know my past and I'm not blaming you for my relapse. That was all on me"

"Amelia…"

"Riggs, it's ok"

"I'm still sorry" he chuckled as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his scrubs, shuffling his feet. Throwing the towel in the basket, Amelia patted Riggs shoulder gently before leaving him alone in the scrub room. She was thankful that he cared enough to apologise but he really didn't need to and he didn't need to be made to feel guilty for something he didn't do. That was all on Owen.

Amelia made her way across the surgical floor to update the OR Board and check in on her next patient. Over the past couple weeks, she had made a habit of filling her days with as much as possible so to avoid having to deal with Owen. They passed in the ER more than anywhere and she could at least keep her emotion in check there, keep it professional there. Picking up a tablet from the nurses' station, Amelia turned toward Pre-Op only to see Owen emerge into the corridor. She made a beeline for him, pulling him into the stairwell. It wasn't until they were standing before one another that she realised what she'd done and what she needed to say.

"Riggs didn't know about my addiction and that night, I had no intention of telling him" she snapped at an unsuspecting Owen "Don't blame him for my relapse. He had nothing to do with it"

"You're defending him?" Owen growled as he crossed his arms across his chest "He bought you that first drink"

Amelia sighed loudly "You two are as bad as each other. Why is that an issue? He didn't make me drink it!"

"He should have known…"

"No he shouldn't have" she snapped "He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught in the crossfire"

"How can you defend him?"

"Because he is not at fault here! If anyone should feel guilty for driving me to drink it's you!" Amelia spat only realising what she'd said once it was out there. Her words washed over Owen like a tidal wave knocking the air out of his chest. Knowing there was no taking it back, no rectifying it, Amelia needed to explain. "You shut me out when all I was trying to do was help. You bottled up every issue you have with Riggs and that wall you built around yourself grew higher and higher every time I tried to talk to you" she said, her voice growing weaker as the tears threatened to fall "I'd fought with Meredith earlier that day and I felt… I felt like I was losing everyone I loved. I was in a bad place and if Riggs hadn't bought that first drink, I would have done it myself or worse."

"Amelia…" Owen sighed trying to reach for the brunette but she stepped back, out of his grasps. Having apologised so many times, he wondered what value it would have now.

"When I got back on my feet and we were in a good place, I didn't dwell on that night. It was a giant leap backwards in my recovery but as long as I was moving forward I was ok. I was working through my issues about Derek and you were… Riggs hadn't been too big an issue again" she continued "But the night you were drunk, I just couldn't put myself in that situation again. I couldn't go back to Day 1 with my sobriety and I couldn't go back to Day 1 with us and you shutting me out."

"Amelia I'm sorry…"

"I know you are and I appreciate it but until you can work through all this with Riggs, I can't trust that apology. I need to take care of myself"

Owen ran his hands through his hair before he sat down on the stairs, resting his elbows on his knees. He felt like his heart was breaking all over again as her words sunk in. He had ruined everything they had built together in one swift motion and he was facing Everest in order to win her trust back.

"I love you but we both have a lot we need to work through before this could ever work again" she sighed as she made her way to the door. Opening the door, she took a deep breath. Amelia had never told Owen she loved him and as deeply as she loved him, she couldn't risk her sobriety. As she left, she heard one last thing from Owen

"I love you too Amelia"

 **Your thoughts?**


	7. Happy Birthday Mia

Today was going to pass like it was just another day. It was just another day, nothing special. At least Amelia hoped it would pass like just another day. She didn't bother reminding anyone of what today was and didn't expect anyone to remember anyway. That was perfectly fine.

Her Mom called of course, she would never forget this day, not again. She did once, when Amelia was 12 but Derek reminded her. It was the only year any of them got a store bought cake. Carolyn made and decorated five cakes a year until they were off at college… except that year.

Derek would have remembered. He loved these days, they were his favourite. He always used to make a big deal of it, even when they were on the other side of the country to one another. He'd send balloons or a singing card. Something that would make her laugh and just wish she could wrap her arms around him and thank him for making her feel special.

She missed him today. She missed him every day just more so than usual today.

Lizzie called and so did Kathleen. They always did. It was a quick call on their way to work after dropping the kids at school, no big fuss. Nancy sent an email. That wasn't surprising. She never was one for sentiment.

A clipped aneurysm and two trauma calls into her day and her Seattle family had made no mention of what today was. She baited Maggie to see if they were just _'forgetting'_ and had some silly surprise party planned or if they'd actually forgotten. If anyone was going to break and just burst into song in the middle of the ER, it was Maggie. No song and dance. Just what she wanted.

Another trauma that resulted in a craniotomy. The last three hours of her shift were spent in the OR followed by an hour writing up Post-Op notes and checking on her patients. It had passed like it was just another day. That's just what Amelia wanted.

Making her way into the Attending's Lounge and over to her locker, Amelia was ready to hang up her stethoscope for the day. She just wanted to go home, take a nice, long hot bath and go to bed early with a good book. No fuss, no pomp and circumstance. Opening her locker to grab her clothes to change into, Amelia gasped softly at what had been left for her. In her locker was a bouquet of perfect red roses. Short stemmed in a little glass jar with a hessian bow tied around the lip, they were in full, beautiful bloom. Attached to the bow was a little note with a single line written in very familiar scrawl.

' _Happy Birthday Mia'_


End file.
